Many Americans believe that our country’s problems could be solved, at least in large measure, by “restoring” the “constitutional republic” and by “returning” to the letter and spirit of the US Constitution. But no constitution, even the most brilliantly written one, can save a society from corruption, ignorance, disorder, and poverty. What is crucial in determining the level of prosperity, education, orderliness and culture in a society is not its constitution, but rather the character, quality and values of its people, and especially its leaders. For many years now the US Supreme Court, reflecting the interests, agenda and ideology of those who hold power, has “interpreted” the Constitution to validate the programs and policies it likes — in blatant violation of the document’s original spirit and plain meaning. Few Americans realize just how undemocratic the “original” Constitution was, and how distrustful its authors were of power by “the people.” While the US Constitution is brilliantly conceived, it has major defects. It failed in the most serious crisis in US history: the Civil War. Now it’s little more than an instrument of those in power to provide a veneer of legality in furthering their interests and agenda.